I know. I'm with you so much on this. I may not have liked everything about Season 7; I may have thought that some of the mini-story arcs amounted to mere treading water, but this episode left me feeling all gooey and happy inside. And that's all that I can ask of Joss. The fact that I'm so happy for Buffy, no longer being all alone-y and destiny-y, is remarkable considering how whiny she's been at points over the last six years.

Also, I've just realised: the "spoiler only for those who haven't seen the finale" caveat I added to the title of this post is entirely unnecessary - it's the only thing that it /could/ spoil you about. It just shows how little I've come to terms with the fact that that was the very last episode, ever.

Empty Places airs tomorrow, but Angel is a week behind as we're getting "Shiny Happy People" tomorrow. But Sky apparently are showing a Buffy documentary after the Buffy finale so we'll see the Angel finale 2 weeks after the Buffy one. Doesn't bother me as I have them on VCD but for some strange reason I'd rather watch them on TV.

Ooh, I see how they're gonna work it. I understand that about the TV rather than VCD though - I've watched all of this season on computer, and whilst it's been nice to watch it early, it just doesn't feel the same somehow not watching it on TV. (Still, I'm not complaining. StupidBBCmuttermutter.)

I keep wondering if we're gonna see an Angel episode where a gung-ho newbie Slayer turns up in LA and tries to take down Angel and/or Spike (assuming he's still vamp-with-a-soul). I think they need little handwritten notes from Buffy that say "Do Not Stake this Vampire. Luv, Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

Well, the shansu thing crossed my mind. Spike meets the requirements of the prophecy (vamp with a soul, trials and tribulations, involved in apocalypse, yadda yadda) ...and that amulet was originally for Angel. It would certainly add an interesting element to the S/A relationship next season.

He's coming back drowning in footwear. I can't make up my mind about this. WilliamthePoet claimed earlier this year that "sans-shoes" is the pun for "shanshu" - and Spike is not "sans-shoes" if he's drowning in footwear. But I may be thinking about this all wrong. Can anybody make a clear argument why "drowning in footwear" means "shanshu?" I'm open to new ideas.

The Lady Pele, I was so happy that I decided to tune into FX as a warmup for the finale, because it made the "Harvest"-recall scene that much more poignant for me. I wondered, too, if that wasn't entirely intentional on FX's part. Loved it.

This was a very worthy episode...and I was very pleased with the ending.

I had said to my wife (whose name is Faith, delightfully) that they would have to either make Buffy not be the Slayer anymore, give her her life back (a la Connor in Angel) or somehow else release her from her duties. I thought it would probably be the Powers That Be that would do it.

I was glad to be wrong. This result is great. Imagine a whole world full of Slayers! How cool would that be?

Here's a question to consider though: what happens with the Slayer line now? Will girls still be born who are potential (and now newborn) Slayers? Or since there is no lineage per se since there are thousands of Slayers all the time, does it pass into obscurity when the generation of Slayers now created is gone?

There are lots of delicious thoughts that go along with this: obviously Buffy is pleased that she is released from her "one and only" duty and responsibility, but what about Faith? She seemed to start to get personal responsibility and purpose from being the Slayer, and having a reason to live. What would she do from this point on?

This was a very worthy episode, and I found myself laughing, remembering, and crying, almost all at once while watching.